No centre-forward = no goals

"You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, 'You are free to compete with all the others'." Lyndon B Johnson,1965

From 1996 to 2009, Arsene Wenger played four-four-two, with two strikers. This season, he’s played four-five-one, with one striker. Today, he played four-five-none. Arsenal had no striker.

Eduardo was lost, like a student who’d turned up in the wrong class. After five minutes, he didn’t want to play. He wanted to make his excuses, put his books in his bag, and leave. He knew he wasn’t ready.

Before his leg was snapped, Eduardo was sharp. He wasn’t quick over 100 yards, but his feet, and brain, worked quickly. Like the best strikers, he saw five seconds into the future, and cashed in his own prophecies.

Today, he played in the semi-conscious, fuzzy-eyed state of a man waking from a long, deep sleep. His touch was poor. His speed - of feet and brain - was non-existent.

After 56 minutes, before he was subbed, Eduardo had the ball 18 yards from goal. John Terry, chasing back, slid in and took the ball.

Had that been Robin van Persie with the ball, or Eduardo in 2007, Terry wouldn’t have slid. He wouldn’t have risked it. One touch from the striker, and Terry would have missed the ball, and taken the man.

But Terry had seen Eduardo limp, like a lost lamb, for 56 minutes. He knew he’d get the ball. He knew that touch wasn’t coming, and Eduardo did too.

The headlines will say it was men against boys; millionaires v paupers; six-footers v five-footers. All that, of course, is true.

But tight football matches, between two good teams, are decided in moments. When Arsenal’s moments came, their centre-forward froze, and the moment passed. It’s hard to be incisive when your cutting edge was blunted, two years ago, in Birmingham.

Chelsea will finish above Arsenal because, in any argument, their goalkeeper is better, their defence more organised, and their attack more ruthless. But they could have lost to Arsenal.

They didn’t, because Arsenal couldn’t turn possession - and possibility - into reality. If van Persie had played, they might - just might - have done so.

Of course, even if Arsenal scored one, or two, Chelsea may still have scored three. Manuel Almunia, after all, would still have been in goal.

But, by playing without a centre-forward, Arsenal had no chance. A team that relies on five-pass moves needs someone to finish them.

Now, Eduardo needs games. He needs to re-discover his speed, touch, and perception. But Arsenal need a centre-forward. Carlos Vela must start against Stoke, on Saturday.